Meatless Mondays - A Proposal

Here's another reason to eat less meat - the tremendous impact on the environment. Plus, as the letter below notes, young children are eating 3 times the protein they need- but not nearly enough fruits or vegetables.

Join Mario Batali's campaign, sign the pledge and eat less meat. Then, let's ask our school to help our kids learn to eat vegetable-centric meals, too.

From the Environmental Working Group:

In recent years I've been more aware of how much my food choices impact our planet. I was introduced to the Meatless Monday campaign and realized that eating a little less meat makes a big impact, both when it comes to losing weight and getting healthier, as well as relieving some of the tremendous burden on our environment.

And I'm talking about a big impact. According to EWG's Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health, if everyone in the U.S. skipped eating meat and cheese just one day a week for a year, it would be like pulling 7.6 million cars off the road. At the same time, people -- especially kids -- would be less likely to develop health problems such as obesity and heart disease.

That's why I am such a big fan of EWG and the Meatless Monday movement in their work to get people to eat less meat and more fruits and vegetables.

So will you join me and pledge to go meatless just one day a week?

Click here to sign EWG's pledge that you'll skip meat one day a week. EWG is trying to get 100,000 supporters to take the pledge.

My restaurants were already very vegetable heavy, but I came to realize that vegetables did not have to be only a condiment or a side dish, and we've added more veg-centric entrée-type options. I wanted to make it easier for other people to cut back on meat, so we began promoting Meatless Monday and offering alternating veggie specials every week!

This issue is particularly important to me because it so profoundly affects children. Studies have found that young kids are eating triple the currently recommended amount of protein, mostly from meat, yet few eat enough fruits and vegetables. If we don't take action now and teach our kids how to eat less meat, more and more of them could face serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke and even some types of cancer as they get older.

You can help your family eat healthier by serving them a tasty meatless meal once a week. And if we all do it together -- cutting down on the chemical fertilizers, fuel, pesticides and toxic chemicals that harm the environment -- we'll make a huge difference!

Click here to sign a pledge that you'll go meatless at least once a week. EWG wants to get 100,000 people to join us. You'll still have plenty of great options, such as beans, nuts, eggs, vegetables and whole grains!

What I love about this campaign is that you don't have to be a vegetarian to eat healthier. That's not realistic for everyone, but you can make a lasting impact on your health and on our planet by making even small changes to your diet!

Sincerely,

Mario Batali
Chef and Author